Sensing device with whisker elements

ABSTRACT

A sensing device includes an elongated whisker element having a flexible cantilever region and a base region where a change in moment or curvature is generated by bending of the cantilever region when it contacts an object. One or more sensor elements cooperatively associated with the whisker element provide one or more output signals that is/are representative of two orthogonal components of change in moment or curvature at the whisker base region to permit determination of object distance, fluid velocity profile, or object contour (shape) with accounting for lateral slip of the whisker element and frictional characteristics of the object. Multiple sensing devices can be arranged in arrays in a manner to sense object contour without or with adjustment for lateral slip.

This application claims benefits and priority of provisional applicationSer. No. 60/849,400 filed Oct. 4, 2006, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

CONTRACTUAL ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION

This invention was made with government support under Grant OB0446391awarded by the National Science Foundation, and Contract 1261628/NAS7-03001 from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The government has certainrights in the invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to sensing methods and devices that include one ormore whisker sensing elements for detecting, sensing, measuring orquantifying object distances, contours and fluid flow profiles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Facial and body whiskers serve as a remarkably sensitive source oftactile information for many species of mammals. For example, harborseals can use their facial whiskers to track hydrodynamic trails, anability thought to aid long-distance prey tracking (Dehnhardt et al.2001). As another example, behavioral experiments on rats have shownthat individual whiskers provide the fine-grained distancediscrimination sensitivity needed to sense aperture width (Krupa et al.2001). Increased study of the biological function of whiskers has beenparalleled by an increasing interest in constructing their roboticcounterparts (see references). Robotic whisker arrays could be used in awide variety of applications, ranging from fine sensing tasks that pushthe limits of tactile discrimination and hence require engineers toconstruct systems that rival animals' exquisite tactile sensitivity, toobstacle-avoidance tasks that require only far coarser sensingcapabilities.

The simplest types of artificial whiskers are those which are used asbinary contact detection sensors. These have been used on severalsuccessful toys (e.g. “BioBugs” made by WowWee/Hasbro). Otherresearchers have explored the use of whiskers for wall-following and tocharacterize surface texture and surface defects. Most recently, awhisker sensor was designed for precise three-dimensional measurement ofheart position in robot assisted beating heart surgery.

An important feature of biological whiskers is their ability to extractthree-dimensional (3D) features, either of solid objects or of fluidflows. However, few studies have investigated how this capability mightbe replicated in an artificial whisker array. One of the most successfulapproaches towards 3D feature extraction was taken by Kaneko et al., inIEEE, Trans. Robotic Autom, 14, 278-29 (1998). These authors employ amethod in which a flexible beam is rotated a small amount (“tapped”)against an object while measuring bending moment at the base of the beam(whisker) to determine contact distance based on the rotationalcompliance. However, this method has serious drawbacks: it requiresmultiple adjustments of actuator orientation to keep the beam orientedperpendicular to the object, to avoid lateral slip, and also requiresmultiple rotations for each radial distance extraction These are notonly awkward in practice, but also infeasible when arrays of multiplewhiskers are employed to contact the object.

There are two interrelated problems that have as yet preventedartificial whiskers from being used in large, highly parallel, actuatedarrays to sense object features. The first problem, as mentioned above,is lateral slip, in which the whisker slides out of its primary plane ofrotation. The second problem is closely related to lateral slip, andinvolves the need to obtain a reasonable estimate of the coefficient offriction. The invention described herein is advantageous to overcomethese problems and to provide and the ability to quantify and passivelyaccommodate for lateral slip of a moving whisker in the presence offriction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the invention provides a sensing method that involvesrelatively moving an elongated whisker element having a deflectablecantilever region, and an object so that the cantilever region bends asa result of contact with the object, and determining two orthogonalcomponents of a change in a whisker bending parameter such as, forexample, a change in moment exerted at a base region of the whiskerelement, or a change in curvature at the base region of the whiskerelement, as a result of the bending wherein the method further includesestimation of object distance (contact point distance) by accounting forlateral slip of the whisker element. The estimate of contact pointdistance is adjusted by a factor related to the object surface sloperelative to the plane of movement of the whisker, and frictionalproperties of the object/whisker contact surface. An array of multiplewhisker elements and the object can be relatively moved in practice ofthe invention.

A sensing apparatus pursuant to an embodiment of the invention includesa sensing device having an elongated whisker element with a flexiblecantilever region and a base region where a moment is generated bydeflection of the cantilever region, and one or more sensor elementscooperatively associated with the whisker element to provide one or moreoutput signals that is/are representative of two orthogonal componentsof a change in a whisker bending parameter (e.g. change in moment orchange in curvature) exerted at the whisker base region. The output(s)of the one or more sensing elements is/are input to a computer devicehaving an algorithm which uses the values of the two measured orthogonalcomponents of change in moment or change in curvature to estimate objectdistance by accounting for lateral slip of the whisker element along theobject without any need to physically reorient the whisker element orthe object or to sense force. Multiple sensing devices can be arrangedin arrays in a manner to sense distance or velocity profiles or objectshapes.

In a particular embodiment, the base region of the whisker element ismounted on a mounting body. One or more sensor elements is/are mountedon the mounting body in manner to sense change in moment or change incurvature at the base region from forces acting on the flexible regionof the whisker and transmitted to the mounting body. Preferably,multiple sensor elements are disposed on the mounting base to provideone or more output signals that are representative of two orthogonalcomponents of change in whisker moment or whisker curvature exerted atthe whisker base region from bending of the whisker.

Certain apparatus embodiments and method embodiments of the inventionare practiced in a so-called tapping mode where the whisker element ismoved (rotated and/or translated) through a small displacement againstan object to determine initial contact distance.

Certain further system embodiments and method embodiments of theinvention are practiced to detect fluid flow profiles.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent formthe following description taken with the following drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of sensing device having a whisker elementrotated by motor against an object (peg).

FIG. 2 a is a schematic view of the whisker element rotated against anobject and illustrating longitudinal slip.

FIG. 2 b is a schematic three dimensional view of the sensing deviceillustrating the plane of rotation (the x-y plane), lateral slip, andthe sensing plane that geometrically describes lateral slip.

FIG. 2 c is a schematic of a sensing plane used in the calculation setforth in the APPENDIX.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a sensing device pursuant toan illustrative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sensing apparatus used for modelvalidation experiment of Example 1. FIG. 4 a is a simplified view of theapparatus showing the angles involved.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the sensing apparatus used for modelvalidation experiment of Example 2.

FIG. 6 is a complete splined surface and associated contact points forExample 2.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the sensing apparatus used for sensing fluidflow profile of Example 3.

FIG. 8 is a graph of fluid flow profile of air velocity versus whisker(strip) height in the array of Example 3 where measurements were madewith a compressed air source at two different distances in front of thearray and where triangle data points are obtained from whiskers andcircle data points are obtained from Pitot tube.

FIG. 9 is a schematic side view of three bundles of whiskers, eachcontaining three whiskers of different length.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Classical elasticity theory was used to model the whisker element W as acylindrical beam bending against a rigid, motionless object (shown aspeg P) and to derive the monotonic relationship between radial contactdistance d, the pushing angle θ and moment M (torque) at the whiskerbase (see FIG. 1). Through either rotation or translation (or acombination of these motions) of the whisker at or near the base regionthereof (where the moment sensor resides) against an object, the initialpoint that the whisker touches along the object during the whisker'smovement can be computed as described in the APPENDIX. The derivationcan alternately be conducted in terms of force instead of moment, and/ortranslation instead of rotation. Although the invention is described indetail immediately below with respect determining a change in moment atthe base region of the whisker element as a result of bending, this isoffered for purposes of illustration and not limitation since theinvention is not so limited and can be practiced by determining a changein curvature or other deflection of the whisker element at the baseregion (or other region) as explained later below. The inventionenvisions moving the whisker element, or the object, or both to providerelative motion there between.

From the APPENDIX, equation 2 shows that a motor rotating a cylindricalbeam against a point object will experience a torque proportional to theamount it is rotated (for small values of θ) if there is no lateralslip. In other words, the beam acts as a torsional spring, with aneffective spring constant inversely proportional to object distance d.Kaneko et al. in IEEE, Trans. Robotic Autom, 14, 278-29 (1998) reportedsuch a proportionality. As described above, however, the reported methodof Kaneko et al. is disadvantageous in that this method requiresadjustment of actuator orientation over multiple whisks to orient thewhisker oriented perpendicular to the object being sensed and avoidlateral slip.

An illustrative embodiment of the present invention provides a sensingdevice that can provide appropriate output to an algorithm of a computerdevice that accounts for lateral slip of the whisker W without the needto adjust actuator orientation to keep the whisker W within the plane ofits rotation.

Referring to FIG. 2 a, longitudinal slip is illustrated for a whiskerelement W rotated by an electric or other motor shown where angularmotion of the motor shaft is detected by angle sensor, and moment at thebase region of the whisker W is sensed by moment (torque) sensor.Longitudinal slip is a relatively minor complication that arises whenthe point of object contact is not a sharp edge, but instead has afinite curvature in the plane of rotation (longitudinal curvature) asdepicted in FIG. 2 a. The result is a decrease in the resultingrotational compliance and underestimation of contact distance. However,the decreased compliance will be negligibly small unless the objectsurface has extremely low curvature or contact occurred very close tothe whisker base. A much more significant complication arises when theobject surface is slanted (inclined) relative to the plane of whiskerrotation, as depicted in FIG. 2 b. That is, the object surface is notperpendicular to the plane of rotation. In such cases, a phenomenoncalled lateral slip occurs where the point of contact slidessignificantly along the periphery of the object, the whisker bendsoutside the plane of rotation and the resulting compliance is muchgreater than would have occurred without slip, causing equation 2 of theAPPENDIX to overestimate d.

As described above, the reported method of Kaneko et al. in IEEE, Trans.Robotic Autom, 14, 278-29 (1998) adjusts the actuator orientation, basedon measurement of out-of-plane moment M_(y), to keep the plane ofrotation oriented perpendicular to the object being sensed, avoidinglateral slip. This permits exploitation of the direct proportionalityrule that exists when the whisker deflects within the plane of rotation.However, this method is disadvantageous due to the need to activelyreorient the whisker multiple times.

Accounting for the lateral slip of the whisker W requires the ability ofthe torque sensor to measure the bending moment M_(y) out of the planeof rotation. However, instead of actively adjusting the plane ofrotation to avoid lateral slip, an estimate of the friction coefficientμ_(est) that acts between the whisker element and the object is used toestimate lateral slip and hence the object distance d.

Pursuant to an embodiment of the invention, the lateral slip is sensedand its presence is passively accounted for by measuring out-of-planemoment M_(y), and utilizing a reasonable estimate of the friction coneangle between the whisker element and the object surface. In practice ofthis illustrative embodiment of the invention, equation 2 of theAPPENDIX is modified to incorporate moment M_(y) and friction cone angleestimate α_(est), yielding equation 15:

$\begin{matrix}{d_{x} = {k{\frac{\theta}{M_{z} + {M_{y}\tan \; \beta_{est}}}.}}} & (15)\end{matrix}$

where k=3EI and β_(est)=α_(est)+tan⁻¹(M_(y)/M_(z)) (see APPENDIX).

E is elastic modulus of the whisker element, and I is the moment ofinertia of the whisker element. The estimate of object distance therebyaccounts for lateral slip in equation 15 in this embodiment by measuringand accounting for deflection of the whisker element outside of theplane of movement. The results [estimated object distance(s) and/orcontours] determined in practice of the invention are stored, displayed,or conveyed to or available to a user (e.g. see FIGS. 6 and 8).

The need to adjust the plane of rotation is thus effectively eliminatedby practice of the invention as long as a reasonable estimate can bemade for the friction coefficient between the whisker and the surface.As explained in the APPENDIX, inaccurate estimate of friction cone anglebetween the whisker element and the object surface can lead to distanceextraction inaccuracy. However, so long as α_(est) (friction cone angle)falls within a moderate range of true friction cone angle, the distanceextraction will be accurate even for steep surface slopes. For example,if α_(est)=10°, distance extraction will be accurate to within 5% solong as the true friction cone angle α ranges between 8.2° and 11.7° andsurface slope β is less than or equal to 60°, or to within 10% accuracyso long as friction cone angle α ranges between 7.8° and 12.3° andsurface slope β is less than or equal to 70°.

With respect to lateral curvature of the object surface, the model ofthe APPENDIX assumes that the surface being contacted is flat; i.e. hasa lateral curvature of zero. The effect of curvature on distanceextraction must be considered in the context of three additionalvariables: θ, α and β₀ (surface slope at the initial contact point).When so considered, the consequence of lateral curvature of the surfacebeing contacted is relatively mild. For example, given a significantlycurved surface with a normalized radius of curvature of the surface,r_(n)=1 (i.e., lateral radius of curvature equals radial contactdistance d), and a reasonable pushing angle of θ=3°, a surface slope β₀of 63° will result in a 5% distance extraction error and a surface slopeβ₀ of 74° will result in a 10% distance extraction error. Increasing θto 5° would decrease the maximum surface slope β₀ to 52° and 65°,respectively.

Referring to FIG. 3, a sensing device is shown pursuant to anillustrative embodiment of the invention that can supply appropriateoutput to an algorithm of a computer device that incorporates equation15 to accomplish radial distance extraction. The sensing device includesan elongated whisker element W having a flexible cantilever region CRwith a free end FE and a base region BR where a moment is generated bydeflection (bending) of the cantilever region as it contacts the object.One or more sensor elements G are cooperatively associated with thewhisker element W to provide one or more output signals that is/arerepresentative of two orthogonal components of moment, M_(y) and M_(z)exerted at the whisker base region.

In particular, in FIG. 3, an artificial cylindrical whisker element Whas a base region BR that is fixedly mounted on a mounting body B toprovide a fixed center of rotation at a fixed speed of rotation. The oneor more sensor elements G are mounted on the orthogonal faces of themounting body B in manner to sense two-axis moments M_(z) and M_(y) atthe base region BR from forces acting on the flexible cantilever regionCR of the whisker and transmitted to the mounting body.

In an illustrative embodiment of the invention offered for purposes ofillustration and not limitation, the sensing device can comprise astraight superelastic Nitinol metallic wire (1 mm diameter, 10 cmlength), with a small set screw S1 (FIGS. 4 and 5) attached at the baseregion BR of the Nitinol wire by adhesive (e.g. cyanoacrylate-superglue)or any other attachment mechanism. The set screw S1 allows differentsize and shape Nitinol wires to be easily interchanged within themounting body B. The mounting body B comprised a small aluminum block(4×4×8 mm) with the center tapped to receive the outer threaded regionof the set screw S1. Each of the four flat faces of the mounting bodywas fitted with a conventional strain gauge G, allowing independentmeasurement of M_(z) and M_(y), and the mounting body B itself isattached to a larger set screw S2 to allow easy connection to an arrayshown in FIG. 5 for purposes of illustration and not limitation. InFIGS. 4 and 5, the array design comprised a vertically oriented aluminumplate P with a series of threaded holes H that allows any given numberof sensing devices having set screws S2 to be mounted and configured ina single column. An aspect of this particular embodiment of theinvention, although it is not necessary for all embodiments, is that itpositions the base of the mounting body (and the fixed tips of theircantilever regions) at the center of rotation. This simplifies distanceextraction because the analysis exactly conforms to the model describedin the APPENDIX; however, the equations can easily and obviously bemodified to accommodate for rotations and/or translations when thewhisker base is not at the center of rotation.

The invention envisions using strain gages or other alternative two-axisdeflection and/or two-axis moment and/or two-axis curvature sensorelements that include, but are not limited to, light emittingdiodes/receivers, fiber optics, optical emitter/detector pairs(described in reference Hirose et al. 1990), magnetic sensors includingHall-effect sensors (described in reference Hipp et al. 2006),capacitive coupling (described in reference Fend et al. 2003), lineardifferential transformer (LVTD) sensors, video cameras (described inKaneko et al. 2001), electric dial gages (described in reference Kanekoand Tsuji 2000), and piezoelectric sensors. The sensor elementspreferably are selected to determine two orthogonal components of achange in moment, curvature or other deflection of the whisker elementas a result of its bending. For example, the moment of the whiskerelement at the base region is directly proportional to the change incurvature of the whisker element at the base region (the whiskerelement, including its base region, need not be straight while at rest).Specifically, Δκ=M(s)/EI where Δκ is change in curvature, s is the arclength, M is moment, E is elastic modulus, and I is moment of inertia ofthe whisker element wherein E and I may also vary with s. The abovementioned sensor elements can be used in practice of the invention todetermine two orthogonal components of a change in curvature (or moment)of the whisker element at the base region as a result of bending of thewhisker when it contacts an object. The output of the sensor elements isrepresentative of the two orthogonal components of change in curvature(or moment) of the whisker element for use as described above as inputto the computer to determine object distance with accounting for lateralslip.

In practicing the method described above, consistently reliable objectdistance extraction in the presence of significant surface slopesincludes a reasonable estimate of the friction coefficient between thewhisker element and the object. There are three possible methods bywhich an estimate of friction might be obtained, as follows:

-   -   1. If the orientation of the entire whisker array can be tilted        along the x-axis of any particular whisker, whisks would be        performed against the object at a variety of orientations,        effectively adjusting the surface slope. The range of slopes for        which φ=0° would be equal to 2·α (the accuracy depending on how        gradually the orientation was adjusted). This essentially        amounts to an in-field test of the object to determine the        friction coefficient.    -   2. Have the array explore the object, and repeat the feature        extraction algorithm (the transformation of contact points into        3-D object shape, e.g. splining) using a range of friction        coefficients. The one that leads to the most consistent contact        point positions and thus the smoothest surface is kept.    -   3. Have the array whisk against the object at a variety of array        orientations. All the contact points sampled are given a        confidence measure related to φ, such that points with large φ        are ignored or have less influence on the feature extraction        algorithm.

Note that methods 1 and 2 assume the friction coefficient is consistentover the entire object, while method 3 does not.

One final issue involves contact occurring at the whisker free tip orend. Such cases may result in increased rotational compliance, causingequation 15 to estimate d_(x) to be greater than the whisker length. Thesolution is to simply give d_(x) a threshold equal to the whiskerlength. It is also worth noting that regions of an object that areconcave with respect to the plane of whisker rotation can only besampled through tip contact with a straight whisker. Tip contact is thusactually desirable for two reasons: it potentially helps provide a veryprecise measurement of contact distance (since the whisker length isfixed), and allows concave regions of an object to be sampled.

EXAMPLE 1

With respect to FIGS. 4 and 4 a, an experiment involved rotating thewhisker W against a slender stainless steel bar at a variety of surfaceslopes (see FIG. 2 b): from surface slope=0° (vertical) to 75° (nearlyhorizontal), in 5° increments, and at two different speeds: {dot over(θ)}=10 deg/s and 90 deg/s. Surface slope was determined using theprotractor shown. Signals from the strain gages at the base were firstcalibrated from voltage to moment. The M_(y) component was calibrated byrotating the whisker against the bar with β=0° at a radial distance ofd_(x)=5 cm. Ten whisks were performed at each of the two velocities. Thelocation at which the whisker gently touched the bar was defined asθ=0°. Whisker trajectories were chosen to ensure a smooth accelerationto the maximum velocity. For {dot over (θ)}=10 deg/s the whisker wasrotated through a range of −3′ to 12°, while for {dot over (θ)}=90deg/s, an expanded range of −15′ to 20° was used. The mounting body wasthen rotated 90° and the calibration process repeated for M_(z).

All data were filtered at 800 Hz, sampled at 2000 Hz and passed througha zero-phase digital filter with a cutoff frequency of either 5 Hz (for{dot over (θ)}=10 deg/s) or 45 Hz (for {dot over (θ)}=90 deg/s). Thestrain gages each were incorporated into a Wheatstone half-bridge. Alldata analysis was performed using MATLAB v7.0 software on an IntelPentium IV computer having equation 15 programmed as part of anoperating algorithm. Equation 2 of the APPENDIX with a push angle θ=3°was used to arrive calibration factors between voltage and moments M_(y)and M_(z).

Experimental data were gathered in the same way as the calibrationprocess, but for varying surface slopes. For each surface slope, theplane of the bar was perpendicular to the orientation of the whisker atθ=0°. An excellent fit between model (equations 9, 10 and 11) andexperiment was obtained for whisking against the steel rod at 10 deg/s,with the resulting estimation of friction cone angle beingα_(est)=10.5°. At 90 deg/s, the data again conforms well to the model,the fit yielding α_(est)=12.3°, but the standard deviations aresignificantly higher. A rough surface obtained by providing 180 gritsandpaper stuck on the stainless bar introduced a problem regardingfriction known as stick-slip, in which the whisker would irregularlyswitch between periods of no slip, smooth slip and sudden, abrupt slip.This led to moderately inconsistent results for {dot over (θ)}=10 deg/s.However, stick-slip seemed to have a less significant impact for {dotover (θ)}=90 deg/s. The fits to {dot over (θ)}=10 and 90 deg/s. yieldedα_(est)=23.3° and 18.7°, respectively.

The above-described embodiment of the invention provides a so-calledtapping method for implementing radial distance detection with anartificial whisker W in the presence of significant lateral slip(lateral deflection in the z-direction) and surface-friction. Bymodeling the whisker as a rotating (or translating) cantilever beam, itis possible to interpret the sensed moment to infer information aboutthe object being touched. Using tapping techniques, the whisker needonly rotate (whisk) a small (approximately 2 to 5°) angle past initialobject contact, so that the radial distance of contact can be inferred.The method requires only that the whisker be equipped with a two-axissensor at the base that can measure moment and/or curvature, and worksbest when a reasonable estimation for the object's friction coefficientis available. An important advantage of this method is that it does notrequire that each whisker can independently adjust its plane ofrotation, and is thus very amenable to implementation on a large-scalearray.

EXAMPLE 2

This example involves a whisker array for quickly and consistentlyextracting complex object features using only a small number of whisks.To investigate the shape-extraction capabilities, a 4×1 vertical arrayof robotic whiskers W was constructed as shown in FIG. 5. [spaceinserted here] Each Nitinol wire cantilever region CR emerged from aset-screw S1 (visible in the figure), which was inserted into arectangular mounting body (B), also called a “follicle.” The folliclewas fitted with four strain gages on the faces (not shown so see FIG.3). In this embodiment, the follicle constitutes the whisker base regionused to measure the two orthogonal components of moment as describedabove. The base of each follicle was threaded to match the threads inthe holes on the 4×1 array, so that each follicle could easily beinserted into the array.

The vertical array was tested by tapping (“whisking”) it against a smallsculpted head H, shown in FIG. 5—a complex object selected specificallyfor its intricate concavities and convexities. In particular, the plateP was rotated by an AC motor about a vertical rotational axis thatincluded the fixed end regions of the whisker elements W. Whisks wereperformed with the array positioned at evenly spaced heights and anglesrelative to the sculpted head so as to cover the head's entire leftside. Each whisk provided four radial contact points in 3D space (onefor each whisker). Splining the contact points and mirror-imaging theleft side to the right then resulted in a faithful extraction of theoriginal shape of the sculpture, FIG. 6.

In particular, calibration between voltage and moment M_(y) for theartificial whisker array was performed by sweeping each whisker fivetimes against a peg placed at a single distance of 2 cm. In thisparticular example, a low whisking velocity (10 deg/sec) minimizedinertial effects and maximized the resolution of contact angledetection. These parameters could be changed to be more suitable for anyparticular application. This same procedure was then done with thewhisker mounting body rotated 90° to calibrate between voltage andmoment M_(z).

To gather experimental data, the sculpted head was fixed at the centerof a cylindrical coordinate system (r, θ, z) while the array whisked atseveral different positions. Note that θ of this general coordinatesystem is not the same as the angle θ through which the whiskerdeflects. The array was positioned at regular intervals of height z andangle θ. The choice of radial distance from the motor shaft to the headwas necessarily dictated by the requirement that the whiskers makecontact with all regions of the left side of the head (Table 1).

TABLE 1 The array was positioned in regular intervals of height z andangle θ, while distance r was manually chosen to ensure whisker contactwith all regions of the face. z (cm) θ (degrees) r (cm) 0.000-2.000,0.125 cm increments 0-60°, 10° increments 5.00 2.125-3.250, 0.125 cmincrements ″ 4.75 3.375-4.250, 0.125 cm increments ″ 5.50 4.375-6.000,0.125 cm increments ″ 5.25

A single whisk was performed at each position. Analog signals from eachwhisker base were filtered at 160 Hz, sampled at 500 Hz and then passedthrough a zero-phase digital filter (period=½ second). All data analysiswas performed using MATLAB v7.0 software on Intel Pentium IV computer(CPU) having equation 17 programmed as an operating algorithm (i.e.,α_(est) was assumed to be zero).

The location of each contact point was then computed relative to thearray. The angular component θ was taken to be the angle at which thewhisker first made contact with the object (when d|M|/dt crossed a smallthreshold), and the radial d component was found using equation 17 ofthe APPENDIX.

A total of 343 whisks were performed. In cases where a whisker did notmake contact, or the data analysis showed that the whisker hit on theright side of the face, the data were automatically removed. All othercontact points were mirror-imaged to the right side of the head. Thelonger whiskers captured the broad convex features, while the shorterwhiskers explored the finer concave regions. Equation 17 was also usedto determine when contact occurred at a whisker tip. Tip contact alwaysresulted in an estimate of d very close to or greater than the whiskerlength. In the case that estimated d was greater than the whiskerlength, d was automatically set equal to the length. Thus, equation 17provided the information that contact did indeed occur at the whiskertip and not mid-length. This would not have been possible had thesensing mechanism been, for example, a simple binary contact-switch.

Note that regions of the sculpted head that are concave in the plane ofrotation (for any given height) are only reachable through tip contact,which accounts for 25% of the splined surface. A total of 1036 contactpoints on the left side were collected, with 438 points determinedthrough equation 17 to occur at or near the tip (42% of all points). Thepoints were converted to head-centered Cartesian coordinates to simplifysplining, mirror-imaged to the right side, and plotted along with thespline to create FIG. 6.

EXAMPLE 3

To examine the ability of whiskers to characterize fluid flows, twoopposing 4×1 whisker arrays shown in FIG. 7 were used. To estimate theshape of a variable fluid flow profile in two dimensions, two artificialwhisker arrays were arranged in a plane. The sensing element was reducedto one dimension (i.e., M_(z) only, although M_(y) can also be used ingeneral) and the whiskers took the form of highly-flexible plasticstrips to increase the surface area exposed to the flow and maximizebending. The plastic strips were Flex Sensors, acommercial-off-the-shelf sensing technology that can measure bendingalong the plastic strip. However, in this embodiment, all bend-sensitiveelements along the length of the Flex Sensor were shorted out except theone sensor element G closest to the base. The flexible strips are gluedto the vertical stainless steel support rods R having a length of 19 cm.The dimensions of the each flexible strip are 0.5 cm width by 11 cmlength, the strips being available from Jameco Electronics. Compressedair is directed from a compressed air source towards the center of theplane formed by the flexible strips.

The sensor element of each flexible strip was calibrated over a range ofdeflections to account for any nonlinear sensing properties, giving acalibration factor from voltage to moment. A compressed air source wascentered at two distances (15 cm and 40 cm) in front of the array, anddata were averaged over five seconds for each whisker. Averaged analogvoltage signals from the strain gages at each whisker base were directlyconverted to moment using the calibration factor. All data analysis wasperformed using MATLAB v7.0 software on an Intel Pentium IV computerprogrammed with the operating algorithm described in the next paragraph

First, the true value of the air speed was determined by placing a Pitottube with an attached manometer at the height of each whisker. Next, thesquare root of moment (moment being proportional to distributed load)was calibrated to air speed to characterize the flow, consistent withthe Bernoulli equation for incompressible flow. Ten trials were takenfor both the experimental (whisker) and control (Pitot tube) data.

When the stream of air was directed toward the center of the array, eachwhisker deflected by a magnitude dependent on its distributed load,permitting accurate characterization of the shape of the fluid stream.As shown in FIG. 8, velocity estimates using the (square root of) momentfrom the base of each whisker matched up will with the Pitot tube data.More complex whisker configurations would allow flow patterns to bedescribed in three dimensions, potentially enabling wake following(remote tracking) of moving underwater objects.

It is noted that this technique does not give information about the loadas a function of position along the whisker length. Instead, eachwhisker in the array gives a single estimate of flow velocity at a givenheight by integrating the distributed load over its length. Because theeight whiskers are at different heights, the flow profile can becharacterized in the z-direction. Using whiskers of different lengthsand in different array configurations could allow three-dimensionalcharacterization of the flow pattern.

Underwater applications will benefit from the ability to sense fluidflow profiles. Again using a traditional cantilever beam model, but alsoarranging bundles of several whiskers of different length in paralleland with their base regions closely aligned as in FIG. 9, it is possibleto estimate the ID (one dimensional) velocity profile of the fluid flowalong the bundle's axis. Arranging several such bundles of whiskers in aplane, it is possible to estimate the velocity profile of the fluidwithin the cross-section of the plane to arbitrary accuracy (dependingon the number of whiskers and their spacing). Furthermore, arrangingseveral such cross-sections of whiskers in a row can allow fordescription of the velocity profile within a volume of fluid. Practicalconsiderations of this method may involve whiskers colliding with oneanother, and specifically for the three-dimensional case, whiskersplanes near the front of the flow influencing the flow profile before itreaches whisker planes that are towards the back of the flow. Theseresults have potential applications to both land-based robots andunderwater autonomous vehicles, in which robust tactile perception couldenable a wide range of behavioral capabilities.

APPENDIX Calculations

The whisker is modeled as a straight, cylindrical, flexible beamrotating with a fixed center of rotation and at a constant velocity. Atsome point, the whisker comes into contact with an object, at which timethe task of finding the distance from the whisker base to contact pointarises. We assume the object is rigid and that the point of contact isfixed, discrete, and exists somewhere along the length of the whisker(as opposed to the tip, a condition which is discussed in theDescription Of The Invention Section). In the case that lateral slip isnegligible, the configuration of the whisker can be described in2-dimensions as shown in FIG. 1.

Because only a small deflection is needed to sense the rotationalcompliance, classical linear beam theory can be used. The whiskerrotates by a small pushing angle θ against an object at radial distanced_(x), imposing a deflection d_(y). The resulting bending moment m_(z)at the base of the whisker is measured by a torque sensor. Under theseconditions, Kaneko et al. showed that the rotational compliance C_(θ) isdirectly proportional to object distance, and can be expressed as:

d_(x)=kC_(θ)  (1)

where k=3EI, E is the elastic modulus of the whisker and I is the areamoment of inertia of the whisker (I=π/4·r⁴, where r is the radius of thebeam's cross-section). Rotational compliance is defined as the ratio ofangular displacement to bending moment at the base, allowing us to write

$\begin{matrix}{d_{x} = {k{\frac{\theta}{M_{z}}.}}} & (2)\end{matrix}$

When the orientation of the object is not perpendicular to the plane ofrotation, lateral slip may occur, in which case the contact point willdrag along the periphery of the object, as shown in FIG. 2 b. Theresulting rotational compliance will be greater than when lateral slipdoes not occur, causing equation 2 to overestimate d_(x). There arethree specific conditions at the region of contact that affect if andhow lateral slip occurs:

-   -   1. the slope of the surface at the contact point within the        sensing plane,    -   2. the curvature of the surface within the sensing plane, and    -   3. the frictional properties between the whisker and the object.

In the results that follow, the slope of the surface will be directlyaccounted for. We know that lateral curvature has only a mildlydetrimental impact on distance extraction in most cases as long as θ issufficiently small. Friction can present some difficulties, althoughthere are ways to address them which are discussed. For now, we assumethat the surface curvature is zero (i.e. is flat) and that traditionalCoulomb friction exists between the whisker and the surface. Becausethis is a quasi-static analysis, any possible discrepancies betweenstatic and kinetic friction coefficients are assumed to be negligible.

To sense lateral slip, the torque sensor (strain gage(s)) at the base ofthe whisker must be equipped to measure out-of-plane bending of thewhisker, i.e. bending moment M_(y). Understanding how to make use ofM_(y) to account for the lateral slip is aided by analysis of thesensing plane, illustrated in FIG. 2 b.

The sensing plane is an imaginary 2-D projection of the region where thewhisker is touching the object, parallel to the y-z plane andintersecting the contact point. In FIG. 2 b, the dashed line indicatesthe initial contact point, the dotted line indicates the current contactpoint, and the dash-dotted line indicates where the whisker wouldintersect the sensing plane were it not obstructed by the surface—theso-called ‘virtual point’. A basic geometrical analysis of therelationships between variables in the sensing plane is sufficient toderive a modified form of equation 2 that accounts for the lateral slip.

FIG. 2 c defines the relevant variables projected on the sensing plane.It geometrically predicts the lateral slip a of the whisker along theobject, depending on the local surface slope β and the friction coneangle α. Slip will not occur when α≧β because in this case no movementof the contact point is required to keep the contact force f within oron the boundary of the friction cone, and the resulting slip angle θwill be zero. Conversely, when α<β, the contact point will slip justenough to enable static equilibrium, resulting in a contact force angleof β−α.

Summarizing, we have

$\begin{matrix}{{if}\mspace{14mu} \{ \begin{matrix}{{\alpha \geq \beta},} & {\varphi = 0} \\{{\alpha \leq \beta},} & {\varphi = {\beta - \alpha}}\end{matrix} } & (3)\end{matrix}$

which can be expressed more compactly as

θ=max(0,β−α).  (4)

Notice that the overall linear deflection is now split into twocomponents: d_(z) and d_(y). The distance between the virtual point andthe initial contact point is simply the contact distance d_(x)multiplied by θ. We also can now give a concrete geometric definition tothe lateral slip σ as the distance the whisker slips along the objectsurface in the lateral plane:

$\begin{matrix}{\sigma = \frac{{d_{x}\theta \; \tan \; \varphi} - {\varphi \; \cos \; \beta}}{\tan \; \varphi \; \sin \; \beta}} & (5)\end{matrix}$

Using this model of lateral slip, we seek an equation analogous toequation 2 that will allow determination of the distance d_(x) based onknown and measurable variables: E, I, θ, M_(z) and M_(y). In the absenceof lateral slip, it is clear that θ=tan(d_(y)/d_(x)). For small angles,θ=d_(y)/d_(x), which we plug into equation 2 to obtain:

$\begin{matrix}{M_{z} = {k{\frac{d_{y}}{d_{x}^{2}}.}}} & (6)\end{matrix}$

Note that this equation holds when lateral slip occurs (FIG. 2 b)because it simply relates moment in the z-direction to deflection in they-direction, neither of which are affected by independent deflection ofthe whisker in the z-direction (d_(z)). By symmetry, the same linearscaling between m_(z) and d_(y) also holds for m_(y) and d_(z):

$\begin{matrix}{M_{y} = {k{\frac{d_{z}}{d_{x}^{2}}.}}} & (7)\end{matrix}$

Furthermore, from FIG. 2 c, it is clear that

$\begin{matrix}{{\tan \; \beta} = {\frac{{d_{x}\theta} - d_{y}}{d_{z}}\mspace{14mu} {and}}} & (8) \\{{\tan \; \varphi} = {\frac{d_{z}}{d_{y}} = {\frac{M_{y}}{M_{z}}.}}} & (9)\end{matrix}$

Combining equations 6, 7 and 9 and solving for M_(z) yields:

$\begin{matrix}{M_{z} = {\frac{k\; \theta}{d_{x}}( \frac{1}{{\tan \; \beta \; \tan \; \varphi} + 1} )}} & (10)\end{matrix}$

Combining equations 7, 8 and 9 and solving for M_(y) yields:

$\begin{matrix}{\; {M_{y} = {\frac{k\; \theta}{d_{x}}{( \frac{1}{{\tan \; \beta} + {\cot \; \varphi}} ).}}}} & (11)\end{matrix}$

Combining equations 6, 7 and 8 and solving for d_(x) yields:

$\begin{matrix}{d_{x} = {k{\frac{\theta}{M_{z} + {M_{y}\tan \; \beta}}.}}} & (12)\end{matrix}$

Unfortunately, there's no way to reliably estimate the surface slope βin the presence of unknown friction. The most straightforward concessionthat can be made to arrive at a solution is to assume or estimate somenominal friction coefficient μ_(est). First, we note that

α_(est)=tan⁻¹(μ_(est)).  (13)

If we now assume α_(est)≦β_(est), β_(est) can easily be computed usingequation 3:

β_(est)=φ+α_(est).  (14)

Replacing the unknown surface slope β from equation 12 with β_(est)yields

$\begin{matrix}{d_{x} = {k{\frac{\theta}{M_{z} + {M_{y}\tan \; \beta_{est}}}.}}} & (15)\end{matrix}$

Note that equation 15 is reliable even when a_(est)>β_(est) (contrary toequation 14's assumption that α_(est)≦β_(est)) because in this caseM_(y)=0 and the term M_(y) tan β_(est) becomes zero as well.

One obvious situation to consider is that of frictionless contact,resulting in β_(est)=φ and thus

$\begin{matrix}{{d_{x} = {k\frac{\theta}{M_{z} + {M_{y}^{2}/M_{z}}}}},} & (16)\end{matrix}$

which can alternatively be written as

$\begin{matrix}{{d_{x} = {k\frac{\theta}{M}\cos \; \varphi}},{{{where}\mspace{14mu} {M}} = {\sqrt{M_{z}^{2} + M_{y}^{2}}.}}} & (17)\end{matrix}$

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While certain embodiments of the invention have been described in detailabove, those skilled in the art will appreciate that changes andmodifications can be made therein within the scope of the invention asset forth in the appended claims.

1. Method of sensing, comprising relatively moving an elongated whiskerelement having a deflectable cantilever region and an object so that thecantilever region bends as a result of contact with the object,determining two components of a change in a whisker bending parameterpresent at a base region of the whisker element as a result of thebending, and adjusting estimation of object distance by accounting forlateral slip of the whisker element.
 2. The method of claim 1 whereinestimation of object distance is adjusted by a factor related to theslope of an object surface that is out of the plane of movement of thewhisker
 3. The method of claim 1 further including adjusting objectdistance by a factor related to the slope of an object surface that isout of the plane of movement of the whisker element and also objectfriction.
 4. The method of claim 2 wherein the adjusting step usesequation
 15. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the change in the whiskerbending parameter comprises a change in moment or a change in curvatureat the base region.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein two orthogonalcomponents of moment are determined using strain gages on a mountingbody on which the base region of the whisker element is disposed.
 7. Themethod of claim 1 wherein an array of multiple said whisker elements andthe object are relatively moved.
 8. The method of claim 1 where thewhisker element is moved in a tapping mode.
 9. A sensing device,comprising an elongated whisker element having a deflectable cantileverregion and a base region where a change in a whisker bending parameteris generated by deflection of the cantilever region, and one or moresensor elements cooperatively associated with the whisker element toprovide one or more outputs that is/are representative of two componentsof the change in the whisker bending parameter at the base region. 10.The device of claim 9 wherein the base region of the whisker element isfixed on a mounting body and multiple sensor elements are disposed onthe mounting body in a manner to provide output that represents twoorthogonal components of change in moment or change in curvature exertedat the base region and transmitted to the mounting body.
 11. The deviceof claim 10 wherein the one or more sensor elements comprises straingages.
 12. The device of claim 9 wherein the whisker element comprise anelastic metallic wire.
 13. A sensing apparatus comprising one or moresensing devices of claim 1, a motor to move the one or more sensingdevices relative to a reference position such that the whisker elementcontacts the object, and a computer device to determine a distance orcontour of the object relative to the reference position wherein thecomputer device adjusts the estimate of distance to account for lateralslip of the whisker element by a factor related to the slope of anobject surface that is out of the plane of movement of the whiskerelement.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the computer usesequation
 15. 15. The sensing apparatus of claim 13 where the motor movesthe one or more sensing devices in a tapping mode.
 16. The sensingapparatus of claim 13 wherein the motor rotates the one or more sensingdevices.
 17. The sensing apparatus of claim 13 wherein more than onesensing devices are disposed in an array.
 18. A sensing apparatuscomprising one or more sensing devices, each said sensing devicecomprising an elongated whisker element having a deflectable cantileverregion and a base region where a change in moment or change in curvatureis generated by deflection of the cantilever region, and one or moresensor elements cooperatively associated with the whisker element toprovide one or more outputs that is/are representative of the change inmoment or curvature at the base region, a motor to move the one or moresensing devices relative to a reference position such that the whiskerelement contacts the object, and a computer device to determine acontour of the object using the one or more outputs of the one or moresensing devices.
 19. The sensing apparatus of claim 18 wherein the motorrotates the one or more sensing devices.
 20. The sensing apparatus ofclaim 19 wherein more than one sensing devices are disposed in an array.21. A sensing apparatus comprising a plurality of sensing devices, eachsaid sensing device comprising an elongated whisker element having adeflectable cantilever region and a base region where a change in momentor curvature is generated by deflection of the cantilever region, andone or more sensor elements cooperatively associated with the whiskerelement to provide one or more outputs that is/are representative ofchange in moment or curvature exerted at the base region, a fluid flowsource to direct fluid toward the sensing devices, and a computer deviceto determine a fluid velocity profile using the one or more outputs ofthe one or more sensing devices.
 22. The sensing apparatus of claim 21wherein the sensing devices are arranged in an array to determine fluidvelocity profile along a dimension or axis.
 23. The sensing apparatus ofclaim 22 wherein each sensing device comprises whisker elements ofdifferent lengths arranged in a bundle.